Greatest Living Racehorse?

[Dunbar]

Originally Posted by RolloTomasi

I only suggested he was vulnerable at classic distances.

As he started just 3 times at 9f or more (and even then only twice around 2 turns), the evidence is certainly scant.

But in the 2004 Woodward, where he was under pressure through fast fractions, Ghostzapper was life and death to edge an, up to that point, unheralded St. Liam.

In 3 of Ghostzapper's last 4 starts, he earned a Beyer speed figure of 122 or more. The only exception was the Woodward, where he recorded at 114.

GZ's 114 in the Woodward shouldn't be taken as any kind of negative move. How many extra lengths did GZ run around the final turn compared to his other route races? I'd have to re-watch the Woodward, but I think 6-8 extra lengths is a conservative estimate. How many Beyer points do 6-8 lengths translate to? 10-13? If so, then the 114 is the equivalent of a sweet-trip 124-127, which is on a par with GZ's other routes.

--Dunbar